North-Sea Acoustic Lwd Fie Ld-Test Results Utilizing Integrated System Ap Proach

The oil industry has seen a dramatic increase in the complexity and reach of production wells over the last few years. This has been made possible by the introduction of a sophisticated Rotary Closed Loop System (RCLS) drilling and logging while drilling (LWD) systems, enabling operators to place wells into targets in a more accurate and cost-efficient manner than ever before. This environment, along with industry economics, has increased the reliance on LWD measurements. The latest generation of LWD technology has transplanted wireline logging technology into drill collars, providing reliable and accurate real-time data for enhanced geo-steering and formation evaluation applications. Acoustic measurements are a critical part of this but face demanding challenges in the noisy environment of a rotating and vibrating drill-string. The paper reviews recent field experience gained in the North Sea with the latest generation of RCLS and LWD sensors, including the next-generation acoustic LWD tool. It will be demonstrated that this new acoustic LWD tool, which operates in both monopole and multipole modes, delivers high-quality, wireline-equivalent, compressional and shear acoustic measurements. The integrated system approach to the pre-job planning along with the post-processing of LWD data is discussed and illustrated with examples showing the benefits of these technologies.